'72 Rear leaf springs question

[72longstepper]

Found a site that offers a great price but here are my concern(s). I have a LWB which, from research has 127" wheel base. Original springs are 2-!//4" wide. Offering's online for the most part (5/1) are 2-!/2" wide in addition to the length being 26"/26" and my original being 28"/24" to center. So do I have to stay with original 2-1/4" wide springs? Does going to 2-1/2" open a "can of worms" in regards to replacing shackles etc. etc.? Does the 26/26 to center eliminate the 2-1/2" wide springs anyway?

[KQQL IT]

Squarebody springs are 2.5 wide I think.

[kwmech]

Yes you see worms, the 2.5'' springs will require new frame hangers. What's wrong with the current springs?

[PepperTreeGarage]

Did a quick search and found these: https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index...oducts_id=9624

I have a '72 Custom Camper and I just reconditioned them. It was a 5/1 and now is a 4/1, getting the stance just right. Here's a few pics of the process. Good Luck.

[PepperTreeGarage]

Rest of the pics.

[72longstepper]

They look great--. TY for info. Did u buy new u-bolts and bushings as shown and that is enough? My springs are no longer "lined up" and my neighbor says they are worn out because of this? I have spent a lot buying new parts and if a spring is a spring I will do what you did. Going to a 4/1 makes it sit lower I would assume. Is that correct? I am an old fart and have no interest in drop spindles or flip kits but I am doing front and rear sway bars. My GTO and Vetts went down the road long ago just looking to make this a cruiser I emailed a local shop to see how much to recondition but no reply back.

[72longstepper]

Thanks again for taking time to answer my numerous questions. At 70 years old I find myself rambling on sometimes.

[Mike C]

You have some good advice above, but some more info on spring widths:

The standard leaf sprong width on a 69-72 was 2 1/4" wide. The 4x4 trucks as well as the Longhorn chassis had 2 1/2" wide springs.

As the other posters said, trying to change to the wider spring opens a pretty large can of worms.

Rebuilding your springs is a great option and you can buy lowering springs in the 2 1/4" width from several vendors. I would think that Eaton Detroit Spring could build you a set of OEM replacements as well ifneeded.

[72longstepper]

OK TY Will check them out.

[PepperTreeGarage]

Originally Posted by 72longstepper

They look great--. TY for info. Did u buy new u-bolts and bushings as shown and that is enough? My springs are no longer "lined up" and my neighbor says they are worn out because of this? I have spent a lot buying new parts and if a spring is a spring I will do what you did. Going to a 4/1 makes it sit lower I would assume. Is that correct? I am an old fart and have no interest in drop spindles or flip kits but I am doing front and rear sway bars. My GTO and Vetts went down the road long ago just looking to make this a cruiser I emailed a local shop to see how much to recondition but no reply back.

All good. Many of us have a membership in the "Old Guys Rule" club. I'm 61. I used a good "Strip Disc" in conjunction with the tried and true "Wire Wheel". Yes I bought new U-Bolts. But I did a "Flip Kit". As long as your hardware is not rusted beyond use, I would recondition it all and reuse, your choice. What I did on the Spring Pack was to delete the last leaf just before the thick overload. I did this to get the stance I was after and smooth out the ride a bit. My truck was ordered with the "G50 Heavy Rear Spring" option, so empty the ride was very stiff. In order to still tow and carry a load, I'm adding a "Bag Over Leaf" system. This will allow me to tailor the rear suspension to my needs. My truck came with a factory front "Sway Bar" and an old aftermarket one on the rear. I reconditioned the front one and plan to do the same with the rear one. I do need to make new brackets for the rear sway bar as the original ones, while they work just fine, leave little to be desired in the looks department. It's a bit of a battle to get the old bushings out, but the new ones went in with the use of a large vise and finished with a dead blow hammer. I'm doing as much myself as possible. 1st pic is the Strip Disc I used. Tried the one from Harbor Freight, as many of their products work quite well, their strip disc wasn't one of them. 2nd pic is the Bag over Leaf system. 3rd pic is the finished front rebuild and the stock sway bar. 4th pic is the stance I was after and yes it's still all 3/4 ton. 5th pic is the rear end back in with the leaves. We did a complete overhaul on the Dana 60, including a posi carrier and 3.73 ring and pinion. Working on the Drum Brakes next. Take Care.

[PepperTreeGarage]

The Rear Sway Bar with the ugly hardware. If you can, post up some pics of your Leaf Springs.

[72longstepper]

Great work. Nice truck and I can only hope mine turns out half as good as yours. Unfortunately I do not have a garage anymore mine sits on gravel, covered with a tarp until I can rig up some overhead cover. That bag system looks interesting. Mine came with a 3/16" steel plate bed that I have since removed along with the mounted 5th wheel rails and lumber rack that came with the truck. Will be taking off fenders then the rest of the bed to POR15 the frame etc. I will take your advice and redo the springs as the truck is real clean under the bed and springs are just a little rusty. Many thanks for taking the time to share. Keep me posted on progress and I will in turn send you some pics of my progress. You whippersnappers make me feel old. LOL

[54blackhornet]

72 longstepper, don’t let your age stop you from doing things ! I’m going to be 65 this year myself. I have friends in their 80’s showing me up all the time ! One is over 90, still living in the boondocks bye himself, and he teaches me stuff every time I visit him. Good luck on your project, I will be watching because I have a leafsprung 71 GMC that I would love to lower a bit. It has heavy duty rear spring option in black...

[72longstepper]

Oh I do not worry that much about age but sometime just about what come with it, if you know what I mean. Will post pics as I progress and matter of fact will check and see if I have some more------------

[PepperTreeGarage]

Boy, the possibilities on that Long Stepper. I like it. Build On!

[Old_Gold]

Thanks guys, the photos are a great help! Leaf spring work is on my list too, so I'll keep watching for progress, and yea, love the long stepper!

[Snake72]

My '72 c10 had several broken springs so I opted to buy new replacements from General Spring. Took a few measurements and spent about $450 for the springs, shackles, pads, saddles and U bolts. Comparing to the old springs they were identical in every way and fit perfect. If your springs aren't broken I would just refurbish them, easy to do, but if you do want new 2 1/4" springs then check that website.

[72longstepper]

SB253 or 319 on the bushings?

[PepperTreeGarage]

Originally Posted by 72longstepper

SB253 or 319 on the bushings?

Looked up my parts invoice. I used the Moog SB319. Keep in mind that my truck has the G50 Heavy Rear Spring option. Might make a difference. We actually measured the original bushings to confirm fit. The dimensions are at the bottom of the pic. Go from there. Hope this helps. Take Care.

[72longstepper]

Well got thru cardiac ablation surgery and getting ready to start again. Few pics of my (slow) progress: